1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a method and apparatus for applying hot-melt adhesive to zipper flanges and for subsequently applying the zipper to reclosable packages.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the prior art, reclosable packages and the methods of manufacture thereof, are well-developed and generally satisfactory for their intended purposes. Moreover, the manufacturing methods of larger reclosable packages, that is, of the size typical for charcoal, animal feed, and similar products, have been developed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/728,477 entitled “High Burst Zipper Assembly for Large Reclosable Packages”; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/728,405 entitled “Method of Producing High Burst Zipper Assemblies for Large Reclosable Packages” and application Ser. No. 11/728,413 entitled “Hot-melt Adhesive Systems for Zipper Assemblies on Large Bag Constructions of Various Substrates”, all filed on Mar. 26, 2007.
However, further improvements are always sought, particularly with respect to a range of package sizes, including those between the typical grocery-sized smaller reclosable packages and the above-described larger reclosable packages.